Making Penicillin

• Penicillin: an antibiotic produced by a fungus called penicillium.

  
• Stainless steel fermentation vessel is filled with medium containing sugars and ammonium salts.

  
• Penicillium is added to produce penicillin. They use sugar for respiration and ammonium salts to make protein and nucleic acids

  
• The fermentation vessel consists of PAWS

  • Probes monitor temperature and pH
  • Air provides oxygen for aerobic respiration in fungus
  • Water cooled jacket removes heat to maintain temperature of 24 c
  • Stirrer keeps the microorganism suspended (allowing access to nutrients and oxygen) while maintaining an even temperature.

  
• Filtered to remove fungus and then can be crystallized to make capsules.